Hes settled in perfectly and we love him to bits. He dives from everything he can hide behind and jumps onto my knee. Hes more loving than my other cats and more affectionate than we could ever have hoped for. It shows that he didnt even know what a cuddle was. He purrs away constantly. My concern is he is a bit small. Looking at the photo does anyone think maybe he isnt bengal after all. Mum and Dad certainly were but I know they are a large breed and she said it was the hernia which made him smaller. Is this a fact?

I just have received an early Christmas Bengal cat. I have his papers and know nothing about him other than he has his shots (minus his rabies and he is 6 months old and needs to be neutered). He is quite terrified at the moment but it starting to explore the house. It was quite a thrill to see him leap the stairs instead of climbing them. He is quite lovely and I am learning all about him. I will try to post a picture. I had a cat named Moo who disappeared (we live in the country) and my husband has always wanted a Bengal cat so when Moo presumably died, he starting researching Bengals and found an ad. This cat was prenamed Mufasa and it seemed logical that this cat should be ours to honor Moo's memory. He apparently likes to be high up and he actually hid in a box of Christmas boxes trying to disquise himself. Any tips on how to tame him to let you pick him up, fetching, etc. I know it takes time to get used to his surroundings. This is my first pure breed cat as all of my others have been rescued kitties (all of whom I have loved very much). I know he is not to go outside (unless following one of us around).

They ARE trainable if you have the time to work with them, and you can certainly establish boundaries of behavior that they will learn over time, but there are certain traits you just accept (i.e. your home is one big giant Bengal climbing tree).

Find a favorite toy. Mine like small stuffed animals (rat-sized) or a burlap toy with catnip inside. You can teach "fetch" with that. As for picking up, just take whatever opportunities you can to get him comfortable with being handled. At first it will be 10 seconds, but do it often so he understand you're not a threat.

One of mine likes to be picked up, and we have a morning routine where she climbs on the bed as I'm getting ready for work. I "toss" her 2-3 feet in the air (to land on the bed of course), and the more I do it, the more she runs right back over for another go.

Her sister... forget it. Insists on being absolutely glued to your side when you sleep or sit on the couch, but forget about being picked up, she wants nothing to do with it. If I try to "toss" her, I lose an arm when she lands.

What I'm trying to say is that they are all unique just like humans, so let his natural personality come through over time. Just be available.

Thank you for your response. The more I am around Mufasa, the more I understand what we now have in our house. He is still confined to the bathroom so he is getting used to our home. He will let me and my daughter pick him up short term, pet him long term and I have hand fed him so he knows he can trust me and will not fear me. I have assumed he wanted larger toys than my past cat so the size you mention is perfect and I had that in his bed. There is a cushion in his bed and he hides under it when he sleeps. He loves his cat tree and feels superior perched off the ground. He is starting to track the toys when I flash them in front of him. He also started meowing for us to open the door the other day (which is the first time other than fear we have heard him utter a sound). He is inquisitive about the water and I have been playing music in the room and he will let me pick him up and dance with him in front of a mirror. He likes to see what he looks like. So, based on that, I think we are making tremendous progress. He also has used his litter box appropriately, though he thinks he can sleep in it at times so he can hide.

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